Trolley-switch.



B. WILBUR.

TROLLEY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED MAR.17, 1914.

Patented Dec. 29

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W/ TNESSES g 7% INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

B. WILBUR.

TROLLEY SWITCH.

AYPLIGATION FILED MAR. 17, 1914;

1 ,122,344. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

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BURT WILBUR, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

TROLLEY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Application filed March 17, 1914. Serial No. 825,293.

To all @071 0m it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BURT WILBU'R, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley- Switches, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in trolley frogs of overhead trolley systems for electric railways involving the use of a plate supported by suitable sustaining wires and separate leads for the trolley wires coacting with a movable switch point for automatically guidingthe trolley from the main lead to either of the branch leads and "ice versa.

The main object is to make the leads separate from the plate so that they may be easily and quickly removed or replaced when broken or otherwise impaired without displacing or otherwise disturbing the plate or its stay wires.

Another object is to provide separate clamping devices by which each lead and its corresponding trolley wire section may be simultaneously clamped to the plate by a single operation independently of the other leads.

A further object is to construct the leads and their clamping means in such manner that they may be interchanged, one for the other, on the same plate or used on other plates throughout the system, thereby reducing the number of parts which it is necessary to carry from place to place for emergency repairs.

A still further object is to provide more effective and reliable means operated by the trolley wheel on the car for automatically shifting the switch point into registration with either of the branch leads so as to establish a continuous guide for the trolley in passing from either branch lead to the main lead or vice versa.

Another object is to render the joints between the leads and plate, and also between the switch point and plate, substantially water-proof, and, as far as possible, noncorrodible so that those parts may be more easily and quickly removed and replaced when necessary or desirable.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the frog will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figures 1 and 2 are re spectively top plan and an inverted plan of a trolley frog embodying the various features of my invention, showing also portions of the trolley wires operably connected thereto. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, taken on line 33, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are onlarged longitudinal and transverse sectional views taken respectively on line 4+ and 55, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged hori- Zontal sectional view of the turning connection of one of the trolley-operating arms for operating the switch point and adjacent por- I tion of the main bodv or plate of the frog. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the heel of the switch point showing the adjacent ends of the operating rods therefor. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the free end of the switch point showing the roller bearing and adjacent portion of the plate together with the contiguous end of the adjacent branch lead. Fig. 9 is a top plan of a portion of a modified form of frog in which both of the branch leads diverge at equal angles from the longitudinal center of the plate.

This frog comprises a comparatively thin, flat plate 1 of malleable iron, cast brass or equivalent light, strong and durable metal elongated in the direction of extension of the main branch trolley wires. as -a and a', and provided with apertured lugs or ears 2 forming convenient attaching means for the adjacent ends of suitable tie or stay-wires b by which the plate may be supported independentlyv of the trolley Wires so that the latter may be disconnected from or re-attached to the plate Without disturbingor altering its position.

Associated with the plate -1 are separate main and branch leads -3, 4 and 4 and a switch point 5, all of which are adapted to be removed or replaced without in any Way altering or disturbing the position of the plate 1, said leads being of similar construction consisting of comparatively narrow elongated arms having one end provided with cylindrical studs or lugs --6 which are passed from the underside upwardly through openings or bearings 7 in opposite ends of the plate and extend some distance above the same to form portions of clamping devices by which the leads and their corresponding trolley wires are firmly secured to said plate in a manner presently described, the opposite ends of said leads being extended some distance beyond the corresponding ends of the plate and are provided with lengthwise grooves or seats -8- for receiving the adjacent portions of the trolley wires -a and -a-.

The outer ends of the arms are provided with lips or flanges 9- at opposite sides of the grooves bent or crimped over upon the trolley wire to firmly lock the same to their corresponding leads so that the trolley wheel will ride easily from the wire to the leads and vice versa.

The studs 6 are slotted diametrically from the top downward to the plane of the upper surface of the plate 1- for receiving and supporting the adjacent portions of the trolley wires -a and a/- which are passed therethrough and also serve to receive Vertically movable clamping dogs 10 adapted to engage the upper surfaces of the trolley wires, the upper ends of the studs 6 being threaded and engaged by clamping nuts -11 by which the clamping dogs 10 may be firmly pressed against the upper surfaces of the wires and at the same time serve to draw the inner ends of the leads firmly into engagement with the bottom of the plate, thereby locking each lead and its corresponding trolley wire to the plate in a single operation.

The apertures in the plate -1 through which the studs -6- pass are preferably located some distance from the corresponding end edges of the plate, which end edges are disposed at approximately right angles to the lines of extension of the trolley wires -a and a' and corresponding leads -3', tand -4t and are engaged bv shoulders -l2- on the leads to hold said leads against turning in their respective hearings on the plate and at the same time permit the branch leads to be interchanged one for the other or used on the corresponding ends of other plates.

The upper side of the heel of the main lead -3- is preferably cut away to form a recess -13 extending from the inner end toward the axis of the corresponding stud -6 forming a flange -14- which underlies a projection 15 on the heel of the switch point 5 to partially support and guide such switch point in its horizontal rocking movement. This switch point is provided with a pivotal stud -16 journaled in a socket '-17, 'WlllCll'OPQHS from the underside of the plate -1-, but is closed at the top by an integral portion of said plate to exclude dust and other foreign matter. It may be stated here that the inner ends of the leads are spaced apart a suliicient distance to receive the switch point between them and to permit its free operation, the pivotal connection between the switch point and plate being located in close proximity to the adjacent end of the main lead 3-. The lower edge of the switch point is disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane as the corresponding lower edges of the leads so as to form a continuation thereof when registered therewith, the free end of the switch point being provided with a roller bearing -18- riding against the underside of the plate 1 to reduce friction and, of course, travels in close proximity to the adjacent ends of the bra* ch leads with which it is adapted to register as it is moved in one direction or the otl'icr in a manner presently described. T he main trolley wire a and branch a' are preferably continuous, but the branch wire a is dead-ended upon the plate after passing through its stud 6- and for this purpose its inner end is passed through the apertured loop 19- on said plate and interlocked therewith as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. U

Switch-shifting mcams.-As previously intimated, the heel of the switch point is alway in registration with the adjacent end of the main lead 3 and, therefore, any trolley wheel, which usually follows some distance to the rear of the front of the truck of the car would travel along the main lead and naturally take the heel of the switch point and shift said switch point into registation with the branch lead corresponding to the turnout taken by the car. On the other hand when the car is traveling in the opposite direction or along either branch toward the frog, it becomes necessary to provide some means actuated by the trolley wheel for shifting the switch into registration with the branch corresponding to the line along which the car travels in order to render the operation of the switch entirely automatic and for this purpose, I have associated with each branch lead separate switclrshifting levers or rock arms 20 and 20'- located in close proximity to but at the outer sides of the inner ends of their respective leads. each rock arm having its inner end provided with. an upwardly projecting cylindrical stud or spindle 2'ljournaled in a corresponding socket 22 opening from the underside of the plate closed at the top by an integral portion of said plate to exclude dust and other foreign matter, the upper end of each stud being provided with an annular groove 23- for receiving a coter key or pin -24L- in one to the switch point through the medium ofa link 25-, the free end of each rock arm being connected to the heel of the switch point by one of the links Q5 as shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 5 and 7. These links, although comparatively small in diameter, constitute thrust rods and are of sufficient stiffness to transmit motion from the rock arms to the switch point without liability of bending, one end of the thrust rods being pivotally connected to apertured lugs -27 on the free ends of the rock arms -20 and 20 while their opposite ends converge toward the heel of the switch point and are loosely seated in V- shaped sockets 28 in a segment 15, which is integral with the heel of'said switch point and travels in the recess 13 as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 7, said rods being held in operative engagement with the sockets -28 by a cross bar 30 shown in Fig. 7. Assuming now that a trolley wheel of a car is traveling along one of the branch leads, as for example 4 toward the frog and that the switch point is in registration with the other branch lead "l-, then, as the flange of the trolley wheel encounters the corresponding rock arm -20, it will rock the free 'end of said arms outwardly about its axis and produces an end thrust upon the corresponding link 25, which, in turn, acting upon the adjacent side of the segment 15 at the heel of the switch point will automatically shift the free end of such switch point into registration with the branch lead 4 in time for the trolley to take theswitch and be guided thereby to the main lead 3--. In a similar manner, the trolley traveling along the other lead 4. will shift the point of registration therewith by its action upon the corresponding rock arm 20 to guide the trolley from such branch lead to the main lead. The object in connecting the free ends of the rock arms -20- and 20 to points in close proximity to the heel of the switch point is to produce a quick throw of the switch from one to the other of its posi- Y tions in time to catch the trolley in its travel from the end of the branch lead.

lVhat I claim is:

1. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate having attaching means for tie wires,

3. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate and supporting wires therefor, separate trolley leads having studs passed through openings in the plate. trolley wires engaged with the leads and studs, and separate devices cooperating with the studs for clamping the trolley wires and leads to each other and to the plate.

4. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate and supporting wires therefor, separate trolley leads having threaded studs passed through openings in the plate. trolley wires engaged with the leads and studs, and separate devices including clamping nuts on the studs for clamping the trolley wires and leads to each other and to the plate.

5. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate having journal bearings therein, separate trolley leads journaled in said bearings, and separate devices for clamping the leads tothe plate.

6. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate having attaching means fortie-wires, leads on the underside ofthe plate, threaded studs secured to the leads and extending through openings in the plate, said studs being provided with transverse openings therethrough, wires on the top of the plate passed through the openings in the studs, clamping blocks in the stud-openings engaging the wires, and nuts engaging the threaded studs and clamping blocks for securing the leads and wires to opposite faces of the plate.

7. An overhead trolley frog comprising a plate having attaching means for tie-wires, separate trolley leads on the underside of the plate, trolley wires for said leads on the top of the plate, and separate clamping devices having portions thereof extending through the plate for securing the leads and their corresponding wires to opposite faces of said plate.

8. In an overhead trolley frog. a plate having attaching means for tie-wires, a switch point pivoted to the underside of the plate, separate studs passed through said plate at opposite ends of the switch point, trolley leads beneath the plate and having corresponding ends secured to their respective studs, trolley wires above the plate engaged with the upper ends of the studs, and switch-operating means including rocking members coacting with the outer sides In W tness whe eoi I have hereunto set of the leads at the free end of the switch my hand this 6th day of March 1914. point close to the junction of said leads with BURT WILBURZ their respective studs and adapted to be Witnesses:

5 operated by a trolley While running along H. E. CHASE,

such leads. EVA E. GREENLEAF.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the (iommissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

